Happy Earth Day, Hartford, you Solar "Superstar"

HARTFORD-APRIL 22, 2022: Last year there was enough solar power produced by Hartford's converted 4,000-acre closed landfill to power a thousand phones at full capacity. If you want to get geeky, it equated to 1 megawatt of electricity.

This is one of many reasons that the city has ranked #18 per capita nationwide in a new report, Shining Cities 2022: The Top U.S. Cities for Solar Energy, when it comes to solar adoption. This is divided between both business and residential users.

Johanna Neumann, senior director for renewable energy with Environment America, explained the methodology in their rankings. While Hartford is #18 for per capita solar use, it does not rank in the top 20 for overall solar output, an award that goes to Los Angeles. There is value, she explains, in both measurements.

"So there are a lot of ways to slice and dice. How much solar per capita and overall [solar use]." She adds that it's equally important to look at small cities that are doing well for their size, just as one examines a city like LA making an enormous impact. "They both tell a story."

Neumann is aiming for a world of 100 percent renewables, but she tempers her enthusiasm: "In an ideal world, [this is what we want]. We won't quite get there, but it's important for localities to think about producing as much as they consume. We need to get there so we don't deplete [the resources on] our planet."

All of this is in the spotlight on Earth Day, but it should be every day.

Solar sometimes gets a strange rap because one thinks it's connected to hot cities, where the sun shines brightest. Neumann says that's not so, that cold places like Hartford (in winter/autumn) may have less sunlight, but they are able to balance this with what can be absorbed in warmer months.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority provided Environment America with a spreadsheet listing solar facilities approved under the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, in both AC and DC watts. Neumann explained to me that the conversion to DC was done so measurements were uniform; they used a respected PV (photovoltaic) conversion tool by National Renewable Energy.

Besting us here in Connecticut is a neighbor to the north, Bernie Sanders' Burlington, Vermont, where they enjoy a swell seventh place. Burlington's watts/per person are 222.9, versus 102.1 here in Hartford. Just one level above us at #17, Newark, New Jersey produces 112 watts/per capita.

Environment America has an advocacy office in Washington, D.C. but Neumann, a Virginia native, lives in Massachusetts.

Photos: Top - By Grendelkhan; City solar panels, used with permission of Johanna Neumann; Johanna Neumann profile, Kimball Nelson.